This invention relates to an apparatus for treating, particularly steaming, a web of textile material in a dwell zone, comprising a plurality of suspension bars guided around a continuous circuit, for receiving a web of material travelling in loops over the suspension bars.
Certain treatments of textile webs, for example steaming, are carried out in a dwell zone. The dwell zone should be constructed as far as possible in such a way that the web of material, which is introduced and removed continuously, dwells as long as possible in the smallest possible space without at the same time being subjected to harmful stressing, particularly in the form of undesirable creasing.
A known apparatus designed for this purpose comprises a plurality of conveyor belts generally arranged one above the other, the web of material being deposited in folds onto the conveyor belts. The principal disadvantage of apparatus of this type is the irregularity of the treatment (danger of streak formation) attributable to the folding of the web material.
In addition, so-called tunnel steamers are known in which the web of material is guided in loops over a plurality of fixedly arranged guide rollers. The principal disadvantage of tunnel steamers is their considerable overall length.
The same disadvantage is also encountered in known festoon steamers in which the web of material which is introduced at one end of the apparatus and removed at its other end is guided in loops over a plurality of suspension bars. These suspension bars travel around a closed circuit; in other words they are returned empty from the take-off end of the apparatus to the input end thereof. In apparatus such as this, too, a desirable length of the dwell zone presupposes considerable dimensions of the apparatus.